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Weaver set to face former club

Weaver set to face former club

By Jim Street
/
MLB.com |

The easiest thing for a struggling pitcher to do is try something different to change his luck.

It also could be the wrong approach, and Mariners right-hander Jeff Weaver believes that if he maintains the same routine between his starts, the success that he wants so badly will soon become a reality.

The first-year Mariners starter pursues his first victory of the season in Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Angels at Angel Stadium.

He is 5-5 with a 2.58 ERA during his career against the Angels, which includes 10 starts and two relief appearances.

"You may be tempted to add something or do something different," he said, "but staying in the same routine and working on the things that got you here is the best approach to take."

Weaver said there was progress made in his most recent start, when he held the Twins to three runs over five innings. But Torii Hunter hit a grand slam in the sixth inning that decided the issue once and for all.

"That one pitch was the difference," Weaver said. "It's a little bit more frustrating than the first time, because I felt I was out there with some good stuff. I was starting to get those ground balls I was looking for."

When Weaver has his two-seam fastball working, he can get the ground balls that he needs to get deep into ballgames and keep opposing hitters at bay.

And that will be his mission on Sunday as he tries to keep the Mariners from being swept for the second straight three-game series.

Pitching matchupSEA: RHP Jeff Weaver (0-2, 15.75 ERA)
The veteran right-hander returns to the place where he spent the first three months of last season, looking for the magic that made him so successful during the postseason with the Cardinals. He is 5-6 with a 4.80 ERA in his career at Angel Stadium and is 5-5 with a nifty 2.58 ERA against the Angels.

LAA: RHP Ervin Santana (1-2, 7.63)
Santana had an impressive first start of the season at home, but he struggled on the road in his last two outings.

Player to watch
Left fielder Raul Ibanez has been a thorn in Santana's side, going 8-for-13 with one home run, four doubles and seven RBIs.